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‘Outlaw Posse’ Review: Mario Van Peebles’ Uneven but Diverting Mix of Blaxploitation and Spaghetti Western Tropes
Director-star Mario van Peebles leads a passel of well-cast supporting players in 'Outlaw Posse,' a multicultural Wild West shoot-‘em-up.
If Sergio Leone had ever signed on to make one of those ‘70s Blaxploitation oaters that once provided steady employment for Fred Williamson, it likely would have looked and sounded much like “ Outlaw Posse,” a wildly uneven but cumulatively entertaining shoot-‘em-up that finds Mario Van Peebles doing triple duty as director, screenwriter and star. Along the way, Chief reconnects with his “posse,” a multicultural group of buddies that includes Carson (John Carroll Lynch), a conspicuously Caucasian former partner in crime; Spooky (DC Young Fly), a sassy cabaret performer who know just how far he can go while mocking white members of his audience; Southpaw (Jake Manley), an aptly nicknamed left-handed quick draw; and Queeny (Amber Reign Smith), an old flame whose aim is true when it comes to knife-throwing. But it never feels dull, thanks in large measure to the game performances of well-cast supporting players in an ensemble that also includes Edward James Olmos as a crochety general store owner; Cedric the Entertainer as mayor of Lil’ Heaven, a commune-like barter town that welcomes all ethnicities; and, especially, Whoopi Goldberg as the Stagecoach Mary (a.k.a.
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